Scotland will have to do something special to keep their 100% qualification record intact at the Rugby World Cup. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

24 years in 140 characters: Never less than the last eight, usually thumped by New Zealand once there. Semi-final against England in 91: Gavin Hastings can't miss... Oh

Coach: Andy Robinson

Captain: Alastair Kellock

Record in 2011: P7 W3 L4

World Cup record:

1987: Quarter-finals

1991: Semi-finals (4th)

1995: Quarter-finals

1999: Quarter-finals

2003: Quarter-finals

2007: Quarter-finals

If everyone stays fit this is potentially a decent Scottish team: well-drilled, resourceful, mobile. In the 22-year-old lock Richie Gray, Chris Cusiter, John Barclay and the Lamont brothers, they have players who would interest England's selectors. Their head coach, Andy Robinson, will be desperate to prove a point or two to England. To continue their proud 100 per cent record of RWC pool qualification, though, they need one of their two fly-halves, Ruaridh Jackson and Dan Parks, to supply some generalship.

Key player: Euan Murray. If the Lions prop has a strong World Cup, so will Scotland. If not, the scrummaging power of Argentina and England could erode the Scottish challenge.

Commentator's kit: Scrum-half Rory Lawson is the grandson of the famous BBC commentator Bill McLaren; his father, Alan Lawson, played 15 times for Scotland as a scrum-half between 1972 and 1980 and is now a vice-president of the SRU.